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STEPHEN  B,  WEEKS 

CLASS  OF  1886;  PUD.  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNTVERSfTY 


OF  THE 


IE  WEEKS  OTLILECTKON 

OF 


385.\-'A3aa. 


3s 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00042095847 

FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 
THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


Vhis>  'NILE  HAS  BEEN  MICROFILMED 


THE 

Albemarle  &   Pantego 


RAILROAD. 


A    BRIEF   DESCRIPTION   OF   THE   ADJACENT   COUNTRY 

AND    ITS   ADVANTAGES   AND    NATURAL 

RESOURCES. 


NORFOLK,   VA.  : 
CHRISTIAN  VOICE,  PRINI^ 

1887. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/albemarlepantegoOOalbe 


.r.  ,■  .'..'..-:•• 


0 


V 


OFFICERS  OK  THE 


0LBEMARLE  fy  PANTEG6  R.  R. 


AND  THEIR  ADDRESSES. 


PRESIDENT. 

JOHN   L.   ROPER,  Norfolk,  Va. 

VICE-PRESIDENT. 

WALTER  H.  TAYLOR,  Norfolk,  Va. 

SECRETARY  AND  TREASURER. 

JOHN  F.  STEWART,   Norfolk,  Va. 

DIRECTORS. 

WALTER  H.  TAYLOR,    -----    Norfolk,  Va 

W.   D.  PRUDEN,     ------        Edenton,  N.  C 

W.  H.  WHITE,     --------    Norfolk,  Va 

WILSON  GODFREY,      -     91  Wall  St.,  New  York 


2 

qt  comparison  of  the  official  statistics  presented  by  the 
pf^  Census  Reports  of  1870  with  those  of  1S80  is  the  best 
evidence  that  can  be  offered  of  the  wonderful  advance  which 
our  country  has  made  in  material  wealth  and  national  great- 
ness ;  of  its  increase  in  population  and  its  progress  in  inven- 
tion and  the  application  of  the  useful  arts.  Nor  is  this  nota- 
ble advance  and  progress  confined  to  any  particular  section, 
it  being  plainly  observable  in  every  part  of  the  American 
Union.  For  example,  take  the  State  of  North  Carolina :  in 
1870,  its  population  numbered  1,071,261  ;  in  1880,  it  was 
1,396,008,  showing  an  increase  of  over  300,000  in  ten  years; 
but  the  proportional  increase  of  the  State's  wealth  was  even 
greater  than  that. 

If  it  sholl  be  asked  what  cause  has  brought  about  this 
remarkable  state  of  prosperity,  the  answer  may  be  given  in 
few  words : — the  great  natural  resources  and  mineral  wealth 
of  the  country  have  been  and  are  now  being  developed  and 
brought  prominently  into  view. 

That  portion  of  North  Carolina  which  lies  east  of  the 
Chowan,  Roanoke  and  Pamlico  Rivers,  known  as  the  "Albe- 
marle District,"  and  to  which  we  invite  attention,  is  composed 
of  eleven  counties,  whose  aggregate  area  is  about  3,000 
square  miles,  and  whose  population  at  the  present  time  is 
about  120,000.  Until  a  recent  date,  the  Albemarle  District 
was  comparatively  unknown,  except  by  name,  to  those  living 
outside  of  it.  Its  inhabitants,  up  to  the  close  of  the  late 
war,  were  almost  exclusively  farmers.  There  were  in  it  no 
large  towns ;  but  few  manufactories  of  any  kind,  and  no 
railroads.  Although  surrounded  by  the  great  Sounds  of 
North  Carolina  on  three  sides,  and  by  deep  rivers  on  the 
fourth,  and  most  conveniently  situated  for  commerce,  the 
shipment  by  small  sail-boats  of  its  surplus  grain  to  Norfolk, 
Va.,  and  other  points  outside  of  the  State,  was  about  the 
extent  of  its  operations  in    that   line ;     though    its    waters 


3 
abounded  with  the  best  varieties  of  fish,  but  few  were  taken 
in  excess  of  home  supplies  ;  though  its  forests  were  full  of 
the  best  kinds  of  timber,  they  were  left  untouched  and,  in 
fact,  considered  next  to  valueless  ;  and  though  its  cleared 
lands  were  as  productive  as  any  in  the  country,  only  a  small 
surplus  of  farm  products  found  its  way  to  the  markets.  The 
proverbially  peaceful  population  was  satisfied  with  enough 
to  supply  the  necessities  of  the  time  being. 

But  great  changes  have  taken  place  in  the  condition  of 
things  ;  the  complete  revolution  in  the  labor  system  has  pro- 
duced good  effects  ;  new  modes  of  living  and  new  industries 
have  been  introduced ;  the  farmer,  instead  of  raising  corn 
almost  exclusively,  has  given  his  attention  to  the  cultivation 
of  cotton,  rice,  fruits,  hay,  grapes,  &c. ;  factories  have  arisen 
on  every  hand;  extensive  mills  for  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber have  been  erected,  and  large  capital  has  been  brought  in 
and  invested  in  lands,  timber,  fisheries,  &c.  A  consequence 
of  all  this  is  that  quicker  transportation  of  freight  and  passen- 
gers, by  steamboat  and  railroad,  is  required.  The  increase 
of  population  during  the  last  decade  has  been  as  great  as 
during  a  whole  century  preceding ;  it  being  now  estimated 
at  120,000  to  125,000,  whereas  in  1870  it  was  only  73,665. 

THE  NORFOLK  SOUTHERN  R.  R. 

In  1 88 1,  the  Norfolk  Southern  Railroad,  extending  from 
Norfolk,  Va.  to  Edenton,  N.  C,  was  completed.  Steamboat 
lines,  connecting  this  road  at  Edenton  and  Elizabeth  City 
with  Newberne,  Washington,  Fairfield.  Columbia,  Plymouth, 
Jamesville,  Williamston,  Windsor  and  other  places,  were 
forthwith  established. 

In  addition  to  the  large  local  business  of  this  road  along 
its  immediate  line,  these  steamboat  lines  have  brought  to  it 
immense  and  continually  increasing  quantities  of  freight  and 
no  inconsiderable  number  of  passengers,  which  increase  each 


year.  These  freights  consist  of  cotton,  grain,  and  fresh  and 
salt  fish  ;  but  the  completion  of  the  road  has  given  also  a 
great  impetus  to  the  raising  of  fruits,  melons,  strawberries 
and  garden  vegetables — to  the  production  of  all  which  the 
country  is  peculiarly  adapted — and  thousands  of  packages 
are  carried  over  the  road  during  the  season ;  the  large  busi- 
ness is  continually  increasing,  and  must  ever  thus  increase 
as  the  country  is  developed. 

THE  ALBEMARLE  &  PANTEGO  R.  R. 

The  Albemarle  and  Pantego  Railroad,  of  not  less  import- 
ance and  interest  than  the  Norfolk  Southern  Railroad  to  the 
people  of  the  Albemarle  District,  has  recently  been  under- 
taken. The  Legislature  of  North  Carolina,  at  its  recent 
session,  granted  a  charter  of  incorporation  to  the  Albemarle 
&  Pantego  Railroad  Company,  the  features  of  which  are  as 
broad  and  liberal  as  could  be  asked.  The  northern  terminus 
of  this  road  is  at  Mackey's  Ferry,  on  Kendrick's  Creek, 
near  Albemarle  Sou. id,  from  which  point  it  extends  in  a 
southwardly  direction  through  the  counties  of  Washington 
and  Beaufort  to  Pungo  River,  at  a  point  near  the  village  of 
Pantego,  a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles ;  the  distance  from 
Mackey's  Ferry  to  Edenton  is  nine  miles.  The  transfer 
from  Mackey's  Ferry  across  the  Sound  to  Edenton  will  be 
made  by  steamers  and  transfer  barges,  which  will  connect 
with  the  Norfolk  Southern  Railroad  at  the  latter  place,  the 
Norfolk  Southern  Railroad  and  the  Albemarle  &  Pantego 
Railroad  having  entered  into  a  traffic  arrangement. 

The  work  upon  the  Albemarle  &  Pantego  Railroad  has 
been  progressing  for  some  months  and  is  now  being  pushed 
forward;  a  broad  channel  has  been  dredged  through  the 
bar  at  the  mouth  of  Kendrick's  Creek  to  the  deeper  waters 
of  the  Sound;  wharves  and  depots  have  been  built  at 
Mackey's  Ferry ;    about  ten  miles  of  the  road    from    that 


5 
point  have  been  completed  and  are  now  being    operated, 
making  daily  connection  with  the  Norfolk  Southern  Railroad 
at  Edenton,  and  yielding  a  very  considerable  revenue. 

The  brightest  expectations  of  those  interested  in  the  pro- 
motion of  this  work  can  hardly  fail  to  be  realized.  It  is  the  only 
railroad  south  of  the  Sound  in  the  Albemarle  District,  and, 
connecting  as  it  will  do  with  the  Norfolk  Southern  Railroad, 
completes  a  line  of  the  length  of  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles,  extending  nearly  through  the  centre  of 
the  Albemarle  District,  from  Pungo  River,  at  Hyde  County, 
N.  C.  to  Norfolk,  Va.,  offering  conveniences  for  travel  and 
freight  to  a  large  section  of  the  richest  and  most  productive 
portion  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina  that  were  scarcely 
thought  of  until  the  inauguration  of  this  enterprise. 

A  BRIEF  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTRY  THROUGH    WHICH 
THE  ALBEMARLE  &  PANTEGO  RAILROAD  WILL  PASS. 

A  belt  of  land  of  the  average  width  of  eight  to  ten  miles, 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Albemarle  Sound,  and  extend- 
ing from  the  Roanoke  River  to  the  Scuppernong,  a  distance 
of  about  thirty-five  miles  ;  it  is  high,  generally  well-drained, 
and  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  grain,  fruit,  garden-truck 
and  the  hay  grasses.  This  tract  is  tolerably  thickly  popu- 
lated, and  is  divided  into  a  considerable  number  of  farms. 
Through  its  entire  length,  from  east  to  west— from  Plymouth 
on  the  Roanoke,  to  Columbia  on  the  Scuppernong,  and 
still  on  to  Fort  Landing,  on  the  Alligator — runs  the  main 
county  road,  from  which  issue  numerous  branch  roads,  ex- 
tending in  every  direction  through  the  country.  Extending 
still  southwardly  from  this  eight-mile-wide  strip  for  the  dis- 
tance of  about  twelve  miles  in  the  direction  of  Pantego,  is  a 
region  of  timber  lands  with  an  average  width  of  twenty  to 
thirty  miles,  through  the  centre  of  which  the  line  of  the 
railroad  passes.     In  this  region  are  immense  forests  of  pine, 


6 
juniper  (or  white  cedar),  cypress,  poplar,  ash,  oak,  &c. 
Here  the  character  of  the  soil  is  as  varied  as  that  of  the 
growth  upon  it ;  in  one  direction  (notably  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  tract)  the  growth  is  almost  exclusively  pines, 
reaching  away  for  miles;  in  the  "spongy"  lands  are  miles 
square  of  juniper  ;  and  in  the  districts  of  deep,  rich  loam,  grow 
cypress,  poplar,  ash,  &c.  The  most  fertile  lands,  and  there- 
fore the  most  valuable  for  general  farming  purposes,  are  those 
where  the  cypress,  gum  and  poplar  flourish  ;  those  that  are 
best  adapted  to  the  raising  of  fruit,  melons  and  garden-truck 
are  those  where  the  pines  grow.  The  spongy  peat,  out  ol 
which  juniper  grows,  cannot,  without  much  labor  in  reclaim- 
ing, be  used  for  farming  purposes ;  but  a  notable  peculiarity 
of  the  juniper  is  that  it  is  continually  repeating  itself: — re- 
move all  the  merchantable  timber  from  a  juniper  tract  to-day 
and  in  ten  to  twenty  years  it  will  contain  as  much  of  the 
same  kind  as  at  first,  and  so  on  continually. 

After  passing  through  these  timber  lands  the  cleared  farm 
lands  are  again  reached,  a  large  region  lying  between  the 
timber  lands  and  the  Pungo  and  Pamlico  Rivers,  and  extend- 
ing southwardly  to  the  Pamlico  Sound,  which  is  divided 
into  farms,  and  contain  a  considerable  population. 

Hundreds  of  square  miles  of  the  country  adjacent  to  that 
described,  is  similar  to  it  in  respect  to  its  large  forests  of  val- 
uable timber  and  its  cleared  farms.  Pungo  River  is  the 
dividing  line  between  the  counties  of  Beaufort  and  Hyde, 
and  this  river,  from  the  terminus  of  the  Albemarle  and  Pan- 
tego  Railroad  to  its  mouth  at  Pamiico  Sound,  is  navigable 
lor  vessels  of  a  large  class. 

A  glance  at  the  map  will  show,  better  than  words,  the 
probabilities  of  business  that  will  be  done  by  the  Albemarle 
and  Pantego  Railroad  in  that  direction.  A  large  region  ol 
rich  country,  with  vast  resources,  that  heretofore  has  been 
isolated  and,  as  has  been  said,  comparatively  unknown, -will 


7 
be  brought  into  close  proximity  with  the  markets  of  the 
world.  Instead  of  consuming  two  or  three  days  in  weary 
travel  from  Hyde  County,  N.  C.  to  Norfolk,  Va.,  the  trip 
need  not  take  more  than  five  hours  from  points  situated  on 
the  Pungo  River ;  instead  of  freighting  by  sailing  vessels 
taking  four  or  five  days  to  get  a  load  of  corn  or  cotton  to 
market,  it  may  reach  Norfolk  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of 
shipment,  or  it  may  reach  Baltimore,  Philadelphia  or  New 
York  inside  of  twenty-four  hours.  Heretofore  there  has 
been  no  encouragement  for  raising  truck,  fruit,  &c,  at  these 
places,  for  in  the  long  time  required  for  transportation  they 
would  have  spoiled  before  reaching  market ;  but  with  the 
present  arrangement,  strawberries  raised  in  Hyde  County 
may  be  put  into  New  York  market  in  the  early  morning  of 
the  next  day  after  they  are  picked,  and  at  least  eight  to  ten 
days  before  they  ripen  in  the  gardens  near  Norfolk.  Oyster 
culture  along  the  shores  of  Pamlico  Sound  and  its  tribu- 
taries, from  the  present  outlook,  bids  fair  to  grow  into  a 
great  business,  and  whilst  the  quality  of  oysters  in  that  re- 
gion is  excellent,  the  quantity  is  unlimited. 

Again,  the  wild  lands  throughout  the  region  of  country 
spoken  of,  afford  natural  pasturage  for  vast  herds  of  cattle 
that  will  be  a  source  of  large  income  when  facilities  for  get- 
ting the  beef  into  market  are  at  hand.  Fish,  too,  that 
abound  in  the  waters  of  this  region,  will  be  taken  in  great 
quantities  and  shipped  fresh. 

A  dozen  or  more  extensive  mills  in  close  proximity  to  the 
line  of  the  road  are  already  in  operation,  sawing  lumber  for 
the  northern  markets.  This  lumber  has  to  be  shipped  now 
in  sailing-vessels  to  Elizabeth  City,  Norfolk  and  other  points, 
there  to  be  re-shipped  at  great  trouble  and  expense  ;  but 
with  the  Albemarle  &  Pantego  Railroad  in  operation,  it  can 
be  received  at  Pungo  River,  or  elsewhere  on  the  line  of  road 
and  forwarded  to  its  destination  without  the  breaking  of  bulk, 


s 

at  less  expense,  and  in  one-fourth  the  time  now  required. 

It  may  be  remarked  here,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that 
the  lands  through  which  the  line  of  the  Albemarle  &  Pan- 
tego  Railroad  passes  are  susceptible  of  easy  drainage,  that 
the  highest  point  in  the  road  is  about  half  way  from  Mack- 
ey's  Ferry  to  Pungo  River.  At  this  point  the  elevation  is 
eighteen  feet  above  the  Sound. 

The  Albemarle  &  Pantego  Railroad  Company  has  secur- 
ed its  rights  of  way,  varying  in  width  from  ioo  to  150  feet, 
from  Albemarle  Sound  to  Pungo  River,  with  ample  terminal 
lands  for  the  purpose  of  affording  facilities  for  any  business 
that  may  come  to  this  road. 

The  Albemarle  &  Pantego  Railroad  can  but  be  a  paying 
institution  at  the  very  outset,  with  the  positive  certainty  of  a 
constantly  increasing  business  as  the  grand  natural  resources 
of  the  country  through  which  it  passes  are  developed.  A 
good  road  that  will  be  substantial  and  in  every  respect  first- 
class,  is  being  constructed,  with  a  charter,  as  has  been  said, 
that  is  exceedingly  liberal. 

The  lands  along  the  line  of  this  road  offer  great  facilities 
to  persons  wishing  to  engage  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
the  first  place,  they  are  very  cheap;  and  secondly,  nowhere 
can  they  be  surpassed  in  richness.  They  are  easily  culti- 
vated and,  with  the  completion  of  this  road,  will  have  easy 
access  to  the  best  markets  in  the  country  ;  having,  withal,  a 
climate  which  gives  to  the  farmer  almost  the  entire  year  for 
working  his  land.  Persons  contemplating  the  purchase  of 
lands  will  be  amply  repaid  by  a  visit  to  the  country  through 
which  the  Albemarle  &  Pantego  Railroad  passes. 

Any  information  in  reference  to  the  lands,  or  the  road,  will 
be  cheerfully  given  by  any  of  the  officers  of  the  road  who 
may  be  addressed  on  the  subject,  or  by  the  John  L.  Roper 
Lumber  Company,  Norfolk.  Va. 


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